General Rules of Thumb In Writing a First Person Narrative Essay

If you are writing a first person narrative essay, keep in mind that you are not just writing about your personal experiences. You are also making a point. And that point can be brought home to the heart and mind of the readers if you are able to deliver it in ways that are stimulating, creative, and sincere. If you write a narrative essay without a hint of earnestness, it would reflect on the material, even in the reader’s subconscious.

Words have so much power when it comes to proving a point. A writer needs to have all the tools in his toolbox and harness them to their full potential. In the case of a first person narrative essay, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have to follow specific rules just because you’re writing a personal account of your experiences. You can’t just grab ideas out of the ether and write about them helter-skelter.

Think about it. When you are listening to someone recount a story, you tend to lose interest if that person is all over the place. Filler phrases can curdle an otherwise interesting subject in no time. Before you know it, you’re disinterested and can’t wait for that person to just finish the story so you can get on with your life. The same thing can happen when reading a first person narrative essay. Disjointed sentences, awkward shifting of ideas will just as soon make you put the material down and look for something else to read.

To avoid this, what you need to do first when writing a first person narrative essay is to do brainstorming first. Get a pen and a piece of paper, and mull over the ideas and the stories in your head and write them all down. Once you’ve exhausted all relevant ideas, reorganize them into a family tree or a graph based on interconnectedness. As you establish the connections, you’ll find out that new ideas will come up as you are given the opportunity to wrap all those ideas and stories in your head. The best thing about brainstorming and reorganizing are the new discoveries and insights that spring from your head. This makes for a more profound and engaging narrative essay.

Once you’re done outlining the introduction, body and the conclusion of your first person narrative essay, it’s time for you to write them all down. As a writer, you should make it a point to bring a lot of dynamism into your writing. The narrative should have a good mix of dialogues, anecdotes, and description. Don’t overuse either one of these writing devices or the resulting material will feel too contrived or unwieldy.

One of the best tips you can receive as a writer of a first person narrative essay is “Show, don’t tell.” This can only bode well in terms of bringing home the point of your first person narrative essay. And more importantly, avoid clichés. Doing extensive research before writing your narrative essay will prevent you from rehashing old ideas. A first person narrative essay with new ideas to present is always engaging to a smart reader.

About the Author:
Wayne Regina is a P.h.D in Psychology. He's currently working at Prescott College as an educator. He teaches such classes as Social Psychology and Family Systems Theory. He's also offering cheap essay writing services for his students.